


Waking Up

by susieq22



Series: Whole Family AU [2]
Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Coma, Gen, descriptions of violence, he's confused and hurting, nothing's explicitly stated but, theodore has a bit of memory loss from the event, theodore's also waking up from a coma?, this fic takes place shortly after theodore was beat trying to research claire's death, whole family au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-18 21:54:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20646260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/susieq22/pseuds/susieq22
Summary: After being in a coma for a couple of weeks, Theodore wakes up.





	Waking Up

Soft voices awoke Theodore from a deep sleep. His head throbbed dully; his limbs felt heavy. Feeling disoriented, Theodore grabbed at the scratchy sheets beneath him.

"... I don't know when he'll wake up." His mother's voice, soft and exhausted. "We just have to trust that he will."

"And what if he doesn't?" Hershel's voice. "You saw how he was. He was practically beat within an inch of his life -- you're not even going to go to the Yard for this?"

"You know how it has to be. I -- there's only so much running we can do before they catch us. I don't want to draw attention to ourselves." Theodore opened his eyes, momentarily blinded by white, sterile lights.

"And what if the men who did this were part of Targent?!" Hershel's voice rose, defiant and burning, fists clenched at his sides and red eyes shrinking in rage.

"And what if Targent has agents planted in the Yard?" Their mother countered. Hershel looked away, giving a sharp huff. "Please, lower your voice. There are other people in this hospital."

Theodore swallowed, his throat incredibly dry, before he tried to speak. "Mum…?"

His voice was a whisper, hoarse and cracking, but both Hershel and his mother jumped before turning their attention to him, mirrored expressions of a relief so raw it hurt written on their faces. Rachel grabbed his hand, tears brimming in her eyes as she held it to her lips. Her smile was small and quavering.

"You're awake," she breathed. Hershel sat on the edge of Theodore's bed, looking unsure on what to do. "Thank God you're awake."

Theodore searched his mind, tried to remember what happened that might have gotten him in the hospital. "Wh… what am I doing here? What happened?" His gaze landed on Hershel. "You're supposed to be at college."

Hershel's expression became troubled. "Took some time off. You were found in an alleyway two weeks ago, beat within an inch of your life. We're lucky someone found you and called the paramedics when they did."

"That doesn't make sense." Theodore looked from Hershel to his mother, desperate to find an answer. His mind gave nothing to verify his brother's statement. "I don't understand, I…."

"You were researching," Rachel started, voice watery, "Claire's death. You were attacked after checking the Yard's archives."

"No?" He had only just started his research, right?

"All the research you did was stolen, sweetheart. There's nothing left."

He was crying. His head hurt and his heart ached. Hershel leaned forward, brushing away his tears with a gentle thumb.

"We'll try to figure out who did it, Theo." His expression softened as Theodore broke down even more, quiet sobs floating through the room. "I swear it."


End file.
